An open-ended survey question has no answer choices; the respondent writes in their own words. To get useful answers, ask about a specific moment or experience, start with 'What', 'How' or 'Tell us about', keep to one to three per survey, and put them after your closed questions. In Qwenvo, use the Long answer block.
When an open question is worth the effort
Open questions cost respondents more effort than clicking an option, so use them where choices would limit you.
- You do not know the answers yet. Early research, when you cannot list the options.
- You need the reason behind a score. A rating tells you how much; the text tells you why.
- You want exact words. Customers describe problems in language you would not guess.
- You want to catch what you missed. A final 'Anything else?' often holds the best finding.
Starter phrases that work
Copy these and swap in your topic. Each points at something concrete, so the answer is not 'fine'.
- 'What was the last thing you tried to do on our site, and how did it go?'
- 'What almost stopped you from signing up?'
- 'What is the one thing we should fix first?'
- 'Describe a time this product saved you effort.'
- 'What were you hoping to find that you did not?'
- 'If you could change one thing about the event, what would it be?'
- 'Is there anything else you want us to know?'
Phrases to avoid
- Yes/no openers. 'Did you like it? Why?' invites 'Yes.' Ask 'What did you like most?'
- 'Why' on its own. It can sound accusatory. 'What led you to choose us?' is softer and gets more.
- Leading words. 'What did you love about our amazing service?' assumes the answer.
- Two questions in one box. Ask 'What worked?' and 'What did not?' separately.
Place them well
- Start with easy closed questions to build momentum.
- Put the open question right after the related rating, so the context is fresh. Example: after a 1-5 satisfaction rating, ask 'What is the main reason for your score?'
- Use conditional logic to ask a different follow-up for low and high scores. For low scores: 'What went wrong?' For high scores: 'What did we get right?' See conditional logic.
- Finish with one optional 'Anything else?' and nothing after it.
Build it in Qwenvo
- In the editor, type
/and choose Long answer for a paragraph, or Short answer when you only want a phrase. - Write the question as the title. Add a one-line hint underneath, such as 'A sentence or two is plenty'.
- Leave it optional unless you cannot proceed without it.
- Use
@to repeat an earlier answer in the question text, for example 'You rated us @Rating. What is the main reason?' - Preview on your phone. Typing on small screens is tiring, so keep the prompt short.
Make sense of the answers
Open the Submissions table and read the first twenty answers yourself before using any tool. You will spot the themes. Then group them: copy the text out with a CSV or XLSX export and tag each answer with a theme in a spreadsheet.
If you turn on Triage submissions with AI in Settings, each submission also gets a category, a priority, a sentiment and a one-to-two-sentence summary with a suggested reply, up to 10,000 submissions a month. That is a fast first sort for a large pile. Read AI form triage for how routing rules work.
Honest note: an AI summary is a first pass. For anything you will act on, such as a complaint or a quote for a report, read the original words.
Questions people ask
How many open-ended questions should a survey have?
One to three is a safe range. Each one asks more of the respondent, so test the length on your own audience.
Should open-ended questions be required?
Usually no. A forced answer gets filler text. Make one required only if the survey is pointless without it.
How do I analyze open-ended survey responses?
Read a sample, list the recurring themes, tag every answer with one, and count. AI triage can give you a first sort. The guide to summarizing responses with AI shows a workflow.
Where do I start with wording?
Begin with general advice in how to write survey questions, then add open questions where a score alone is not enough.
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